Dental Hygiene During Braces Treatment

Posted February 5, 2018.

You’re on your way to a healthier, straighter smile. You may be aware that cleaning your teeth while wearing braces can be more involved. Dr. Shabbir Adenwalla and our team are happy to give you tips on proper dental hygiene with braces.

Brushing Teeth
Brush your teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day. Choose either a manual or electric toothbrush with soft bristles and a small head that can easily reach all areas of the mouth. Before you brush your teeth, be sure to remove any elastics. While holding the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle at the gumline, brush back and forth and then brush toward the biting surface of the teeth. Take care to brush the top and bottom of each bracket as well as the front of the brackets and wires. You may find it helpful to hold back your lip while you brush your brackets. Be sure to brush the chewing surfaces of each tooth as well as the backs of the teeth.

Flossing
It is important that you floss your teeth at least once a day. Flossing while wearing braces can prove challenging until you get the hang of it. We recommend using a floss threader to aid you in properly cleaning between your teeth. Floss threaders can help you maneuver the dental floss beneath or over the wires so that you can clean your teeth of plaque and food particles beneath the gumline.

We invite you to contact 360 Orthodontics at 440-243-9575 today to learn more and to set up a reservation with our orthodontist in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.